Gal. 1:1, 2

Gal 1:1 "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:" The letters that Paul wrote follows the typical letter format. He began by saying who was writing the letter. Next, he told us to whom the letter was being written. Third was the body of the letter. Fourth was the salutation of the letter. Finally, Paul gave the complimentary close of the letter. It is important that we know that Paul wrote the letter to the churches of Galatia. Paul was greatly suited to address the issue and problem facing the churches of Galatia. There had come men who taught the people that they are saved by "grace, but" they must be circumcised for that salvation to be effective. This is what I call the "grace, but" doctrine. Those who teach a "grace, but" doctrine teach that a person is saved by grace, but he must do "something else" in order for that grace to be effective in saving him from his sins. What the "something else" is changes from group to group, but it is the same basic principle. Paul knew the error of the "grace, but" doctrine for he himself was a perfect example of salvation by grace alone. We have this account of Paul's experience of grace in his journey to Damascus in Acts chapter nine: 9:1 "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized." From the above we know that Saul was not seeking the Lord, nor was he seeking the welfare of the church. Saul was seeking to destroy those who worshipped the Lord and to put out the mention of his name. Saul was walking in great hatred toward the Lord. Next, we know that the Lord, himself, struck down Saul along the road to Damascus and blinded him and spoke directly to him. No man preached the gospel to Saul. Salvation was not offered to Saul. Rather, there was a great change in Saul. The Lord revealed himself unto Saul. The change in Saul is evident because he at one moment was seeking to destroy the mention of the name of Jesus and the next moment he asked the Lord "what would thou have me to do." Later, before Ananias came on the scene Saul was praying. Saul's praying unto the Lord was evidence that Saul had been born of the Spirit before the preacher ever came to Saul. Further, Ananias recognized that Saul was already born of the Spirit when he met him and called him Brother Saul. Saul was saved by grace alone. Everything that followed this dealt with Saul's seeking to serve and worship the Lord in the Kingdom of heaven. There was no "grace, but" in Saul's salvation. It was grace alone. Later on in the first chapter, Paul reaffirms that his salvation is by grace alone: Gal. 1:15 "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:" Paul said that it was God who: 1. separated me from my mother's womb. 2. called me by his grace. 3. revealed his Son in me. All of the above was performed by the Lord alone without the means of a preacher or of the gospel. It was by the grace of God alone. There was no "grace, but" doctrine in the above works. Next, Paul tells us of his authority to write a letter to the churches of the Galatians. He says that he is an "apostle." The word, apostle, literally means one sent forth. In the gospels, we read where the Lord had called the original twelve apostles and later that Judas Iscariot fell by transgression. Yet, Paul was just as much an apostle of Jesus Christ as the original twelve men were apostles of Jesus Christ. Paul informs us that his apostleship was "not of men, neither by men." Men did not call Paul to be an apostle; neither did men make Paul an apostle. Paul affirms that his calling and the gift on an apostle came directly from the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father. Men did ordain Paul as an elder or bishop, but the ordination is not what makes a man a preacher, but it recognizes the gift of God and that the person is qualified to serve in the office to which God has called him. Thus, Paul wrote the churches of Galatia based on the authority given to him of God as an apostle. Further, what Paul wrote was by the leadership of the Holy Spirit and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and thus carried the same weight as a letter from the Holy Spirit to the churches. "And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:" Paul never directed any of his writings to anyone who was not born of the Spirit of God. He always wrote to born-again children of God. In this example, he wrote to the churches of Galatia. Churches are composed of born-again children of God who have joined the church through water baptism. Therefore, the purpose of Paul's writings was not to get people born-again, but to instruct those who by the grace of God were already born of the Spirit. Paul invokes the names of "all the brethren which are with me" in his letter to the churches of Galatia. This tells us that the "brethren which are with Paul" are of the same mind and in complete agreement with what Paul was writing. Paul did not stand alone in the doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Thus, Paul's stand against the "grace, but" doctrine was fully supported by the brethren which were with Paul and Paul is letting the churches of Galatia know that their support of the "grace, but" doctrine was a departure from the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.